Letters for May 12, 2024

Elect those willing to bridge the divide

A few days ago, I crossed the “border” from Washington to Idaho for a specialty medical appointment.

When a driver in a big pickup truck honked at me, I initially thought I’d made a driving error. But a few miles later when another pickup driver menacingly blared their horn at me, I realized he was expressing disdain for the Biden-Harris sticker on my rear bumper. I felt apprehensive enough to consider removing my bumper sticker before returning to North Idaho for a follow-up medical appointment.

Eric Cortellessa, a staff writer for Time Magazine, recently summarized his interview with former President Trump about his vision for a potential second term in office. Trump said he made a crucial mistake in his first term by being “too nice.”

Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley stated that a second Trump term could bring the “end of democracy and the birth of a new kind of authoritarian presidential order” where election insurrectionist rioters are rebranded as patriots.

In our increasingly polarized nation, I appeal to Republicans and Democrats to elect officials who are willing to bridge the divide. May all citizens be held accountable for upholding the rule of law and protecting the values of the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights, especially the separation of church and state.

My neighbors in Coeur d’Alene and I might not agree on politics, but I sincerely hope that we can find respectful ways to dialogue about our differing opinions.

Susie Weller

Liberty Lake

Hate speech is OK, apparently

The decision of the Kootenai County prosecutor to not charge Anthony Meyers because his “intent was to be funny” is ludicrous (“City of CdA won’t file charges in incident involving Utah team,” May 7).

Intent is irrelevant. Hate speech is never funny.

The decision of the prosecutor is as dark a cloud as the acts themselves. It sends a message that in Idaho hate speech is not only protected, it is OK.

This decision relabels us as a place where racial intolerance thrives. This is a sad day for our community, a sad day for Spokane and a sad day for Gonzaga University. We all need to be better than this.

Russell VanderWilde

Worley

CdA welcomes intolerance

I am appalled that the city of Coeur d’Alene is not going to file charges against the 18-year-old man who yelled racial slurs at the 100 or so people from the University of Utah basketball team.

That just reinforces and basically confirms the conception that North Idaho is racist and a welcoming place for intolerance.

Living in Spokane, I, for one, plan to limit my excursions into Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene because of this attitude.

Lauris Anderson

Spokane

No need to damage two careers

All right, the letter from the Wilson Elementary School music teacher to parents contained phrases that were thoughtless and stupid. An error in judgment. A mistake.

So, issue an appropriate reprimand and have her apologize and sign a pledge that it will not happen again. But no, the district places her on administrative leave, pending a “thorough investigation.” Soon after, the Wilson principal resigns, citing the strain of “challenges.” It is not difficult to deduce the nature of these challenges. District administrators, the numerous critics of these two women, and the rest of us have never committed an error in judgment, of course.

Two professional careers damaged, perhaps destroyed. Over a stupid mistake. Was it worth it?

David Haugen

Spokane

Latah Valley faces local government mistakes

The city of Spokane’s lack of infrastructure planning in Latah Valley is coming home to roost now, with news that most of the Eagle Ridge, Cheney, Spokane and Qualchan area will find itself with brutal detours, essentially for the duration of fire season.

Outside of using a severely throttled Meadowlane Road (already a dangerous intersection that has had improvements put off for decades), residents will need to access I-90 by way of a 14.5-mile, 25-minute detour through heavily wooded, rural areas. Residents will also need to compete for egress with construction equipment from numerous housing developments being added to the local area as we speak.

This is what happens when local governments prioritize more property tax payments over safety, and the city and its leadership (spanning decades) should be held accountable for the results.

Seth Rima

Spokane

Bird deserves vote for many reasons

I’m not just voting for Semi Bird for governor – I am voting for the Washington state Constitution. I am voting for no more sanctuary city/state. I am voting for an audit of every department of Washington government. I am voting against socialism. I am voting against flip-flop politicians. I am voting for the Second Amendment. I am voting for the police. For our military. I am voting for the American flag. For secure borders. I am voting for liberty. I am voting for good vs. evil. I am voting for “We the People.”

Morna Gilbert

Spokane

West Plains area deserves better

As president of a small Class A water system serving 49 homes on the West Plains, I have been concerned about the perfluoro octane sulfonate and aqueous film-forming foam contamination first at Fairchild Air Force Base and now from Spokane International Airport.

I remember in 2017 I was told by Fairchild that the contamination would never cross Highway 2. Sadly, we now know that wasn’t true. I am disappointed that airport officials, after they learned about their contamination, failed to disclose this information to the public and only admitted it after a whistleblower submitted a Freedom of Information Act request, received the information, and turned it over to the Department of Ecology.

I am disappointed in my elected officials, primarily Spokane County Commissioner Al French, for his stonewalling of the process. The airport is a formerly used Defense site (Geiger Field Air Base, then a Washington National Guard Base flying fighter aircraft until 1976). As such, I believe the U.S. government has the same responsibility as Fairchild to clean up the whole West Plains area as one site and quit pointing fingers at each other on whose fault it is. It was a federal requirement to use aqueous film-forming foam and it should be a federal requirement to clean it up.

People on the West Plains deserve better than what they are getting.

Jerry Goertz

Medical Lake